zimzimzoo: The Hunger Games and Tomorrow, When the War Began have the same kind of feel - technically they're Science Fiction novels, but they feel more like survival stories with a bit of romance mixed in. I highly recommend both series.

A very strong finish to the series. I really was gripped and couldn't wait to get back to reading this every evening. The action was fab, as always, and the character stayed strong, which is very enjoyable with a female lead. One complaint was that the author sent her to sleep far too often with morphling. This can be used once or perhaps twice in a book but here, the author just seemed to drug Katniss whenever things got too tough. It would have been much better to allow her character to deal with the psychological issues by keeping her awake and allowing her to feel the pain of different events. The other complaint here was that Katniss' guilt started to feel overdone. It has been a thread through all three books, but by the third book, her observance of all the people who are dying because of her just felt overused. There wasn't any real emotion to it, and it would have been better, especially in this third book, to have her really work through that or break down because of it. Instead, we get thoughts that seem blah in their impact and morphling. I do recommend that you overlook these two flaws and read the book anyway. It's a lot of fun, and Katniss still exhibits strong traits that make her appealing. ( )

Had heard from a friend that this book wasn't as good as the others...a little more violent. Started reading...but then started skipping around. Decided that I REALLY didn't care to read it. Did read about the last 8 pages or so. ( )

Oh my gosh, I was expecting so much more from this book. The atmosphere is completely different, all the characters seem to turn into shadows of themselves and the most prevailing emotion I felt after reading this book was depressed.

I wanted an ending that made you feel good, perhaps gave you hope for humanity but all I got was a short sharp shock of a depressing dystopian reality. This is why I generally dislike Dystopia novels.

Katniss is as confused and as clueless as ever during the first half of the book, this annoyed me. [The deaths of Finnick and Prim (hide spoiler)] saddened me beyond belief and the fact that Peeta, the most heartwarming, altruistic character in the whole series [was changed into a character so unrecognizable and damaged (hide spoiler)] really annoyed me. What this book needed was some character to briefly uplift the whole tone of the book. The fact that Haymitch [was tee-total in district 13 and then goes back to drink again as soon as the capitol is overthrown (hide spoiler)] also annoyed me. Can't anyone keep their shit together!

Looking at the ending of the book, I was surprisingly heartwarmed by [Katniss and Peeta finally ending up together and having children (hide spoiler)] but I was really confused about Gale. [He could not have cared about Katniss as much as Collins portrayed if he just foooked off and never saw Katniss after the Capitol is overthrown (hide spoiler)] - because of that the ending seemed abit sloppy and rushed.

All in all I am slightly satisfied by the end of the series even if it didn't end how I would have liked. Hopefully the movie is better. ( )

The conclusion to The Hunger Games trilogy. I anticipated a lot from this book as Catching Fire left me wanting more. Mockingjay definitely delivered and offered the electrical jolt that was brewing in Catching Fire. As a society is shaking off its dead skin, characters are likewise growing and changing. Katniss is in the middle of turmoil- emotionally, physically, mentally, socially. She must continue to choose her destiny and forge her own path in the developing societal changes. It was in Mockingjay that I had extreme reactions to Katniss and her choices- which embodies superb writing in my opinion. I was further thrust into emotional reactions to Peeta and Gale. As the end drew near, I was unable to look away from the page- I was completely immersed in the story and the characters. I felt that throughout this trilogy I became connected to the characters, Panem, and the Games. It was as if I had my own personal stake in the Game. To me- exactly how writing should be- eliciting strong emotions from the reader. Mockingjay closes the story of Katniss, Peeta, and the Games- I enjoyed the ending.. not because I loved it, but because it drew a strong reaction from me. Collins created an amazing trilogy and closed it at just the right moment. ( )

Collins is absolutely ruthless in her depictions of war in all its cruelty, violence, and loss, leaving readers, in turn, repulsed, shocked, grieving and, finally, hopeful for the characters they've grown to empathize with and love. Mockingjay is a fitting end to the series that began with The Hunger Games (2008) and Catching Fire (2009) and will have the same lasting resonance as William Golding's Lord of the Flies and Stephen King's The Stand. However, the book is not a stand-alone; readers do need to be familiar with the first two titles in order to appreciate the events and characters in this one.

“Mockingjay” is not as impeccably plotted as “The Hunger Games,” but none­theless retains its fierce, chilly fascination. At its best the trilogy channels the political passion of “1984,” the memorable violence of “A Clockwork Orange,” the imaginative ambience of “The Chronicles of Narnia” and the detailed inventiveness of “Harry Potter.”

The series ends on an ostensibly happy note, but the heartbreaking effects of war and loss aren't sugar-coated. This is one YA novel that will leave you thinking about the ramifications of war on society, not just the coming-of-age of a young woman.

All in all, Mockingjay confirms what we've suspected already — The Hunger Games isn't just a powerful saga about a unique, memorable hero struggling to do the right thing in the public gaze. It's also an important work of science fiction that everyone should read, because if you don't, you'll be left out of all the best conversations.

More maudlin than the first two books in the series, "Mockingjay" is also the most violent and bloody and, based on the actions and statements of its characters, its most overtly antiwar — though not so much that it distracts from a series conclusion that is nearly as shocking, and certainly every bit as original and thought provoking, as "The Hunger Games."

My arms rise slightly - as if recalling the black-and-white wings Cinna gave me - then come to rest at my sides. "I'm going to be the Mockingjay."

He understands I don't want anyone with me today. Not even him. Some walks you have to take alone.

And it takes too much energy to stay angry with someone who cries so much.

"No, I want you to rethink it and come up with the right opinion," I tell him.

Frankly, our ancestors don't seem much to brag about. I mean, look at the state they left us in, with the wars and the broken planet. Clearly, they didn't care about what would happen to the people who came after them.

"Fire is catching!" I am shouting now, determined that he will not miss a word. "And if we burn, you burn with us!"

"Better not to give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart."

"Panem et Circenses translates into 'Bread and Circuses.' The writer was saying that in return for full bellies and entertainment, his people had given up their political responsibilities and therefore their power.

Because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children's lives to settle its differences.

But collective thinking is usually short-lived. We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction.

That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that.

Wikipedia in English (5)

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans — except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the Mockingjay of the rebels — no matter what the personal cost.

Haiku summary

Peeta, Katniss, Gale, The Hunger Games they had played. Now it's war they face.

In the aftermathOf the Quarter Quell, all haveTo fight their demons.(passion4reading)

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. A revolution is unfolding, and it is up to Katniss to accept responsibility for countless lives and to change the course of the future of Panem.… (more)